Splicing mechanism for circular-knitting machines



G. P. BOSWORTH AND E. M. GUNNI'NG.

SPLICING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. 19m.

1,402,394L Patented Jan. 3, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. P. BOSWORTH AND E. M. GUNNJNG. SPLlClNG MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES.

mmwo APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, 1914.

Patented Jan. 3, 19220 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

innree srarss GEORGE P. BOSWORTH, OF CENTRAL FALLS, AND EUGENE M.

TUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNORS,

PATENT canon,

GUNNING, or PAW- BY mnsnn ASSIGNMENTS, T0 HEMPHILL COMPANY, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF MASSA.

GHUSETTS.

SPLICING- MECHANISM FOR- CIRCULABFKNITTING- MACHINES.

Application filed June 4,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Gnoncn P. Bos- WORTH and EUGENE M. GUNNING, citizens of the United States, residin at Central Falls, R. I., and Pawtucket, 1., respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Splicing Mechanism for Circular-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates particularly to an organization for splicing in a circular machine.

' ed to Hemphill, #933,448, of 1909, but it will be understood that the invention is not limited in its use tomachines of this type.

The invention consists in the features and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims. a

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view looking from the inside of the cam ring showing diagrammatically the needle advancing cams, the stitch cams, and the guard cam with our improvement embodied therein and showing also diagrammatically the latch ring, the yarn fingers, and the knitting wave, the splicing yarn finger being down and the short butt needles about to take the splicing yarn;

Figure 1 is a detail sectional view, taken vertically and centrally'of the group of cams shown in Figure 1;

' down;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figures 1, 2 and 3, but showing the needles at the same point in the knitting operation as in Figure 2, i. e., at the moment the splicing yarn is to be thrown out of work for a half revolution of the machine in knitting a half course for the ankle or instep, this view illustrating a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 3,1922. 1914:, Serial No. 843,006.

modified cam arrangement and the effect produced thereby;

Figure 5 stitch cams of Figure 4;

In knitting the high splice or double sole of stockings,'a splicing yarn is thrown into work to be knitted together with the main yarn, and when thrown into work it is knitted up for a half revolution of the machine and is then thrown out of work, and for carrying on these actions a yarn finger has been operated heretofore to and from feeding position remaining down for half a revolution of the machine, and being then raised to withdraw the splicing yarn from work for the next half revolution, these actions going on alternately during the knitting of the high splice and double sole. cation of the splicingyarn finger is objectionable, as its motion must be rapid, resulting in noise, and its action is uncertain, sometimes beginning the feed on one needle and sometimes on an adjacent needle, and the point of termination of the feed is also uncertain.

With our improvement the yarn finger, when thrown into position to place the splic-. ing yarn in work, remains in this position during the knitting of the high splice and double sole, and the needles are so controlled that only the proper set or half circle will take the yarn to knit the high splice or double sole, the, other needles or half circle missing the said splicing yarn so that for only one half revolution of the machine will the splicing yarn be knit, and this will be done only on the short butt needles which make the high splice and sole of the stocking. As in the Bannervtype of machine, the needles are divided into two sets, one half circle being instep needles and the remaining. half circle being heel and toe needles.

In the particular form of machine chosen to exemplify my invention; the heel and toe needles have short butts, and the instep needles have lon butts. The cams for operating these nee les are fundamentally like those in the Hemphill patent, but are modified in certain respects, presently to be noted, in order to carry out our invention. These cams include two stitch cams 1, 2, both of which are used in reciprocating knitting for This reciproheel and toe work, the stitch cam 1 being the one which is in use during round knitting, at which time the needles move in the direction of the arrow, Figs. 1, 2, 3 and *1. The guard cam 3 acts to retract the needles, after being advanced, to take the yarn. This cam has a surface t along which the short butt needles pass, and a lower cam surface 5 along which the long butt instep needles pass, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The main yarn finger is shown at 6, and the splicing yarn finger at7, these being pivoted at 8 on a cross pin held in the ears 9 on a latch ring 10 similar to the Banner machine, said latch rin having a yarn feed mouth 11 with sides or s ioulders 12 for guid ing the yarn from the fingers to the needles. Other yarn fingers are shown at 13 also pivotally mounted. The main yarn finger and the splicing yarn finger are shown down in position for delivering the yarn to the needles in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. In knitting the high splice, it is necessary, in carrying out our invention, for the splicing yarn to be taken by the short butt needles but to be missed by the long butt instep and ankle needles. This yarn, therefore, must be knitted for one-half revolution and not knitted for the remaining half revolution.

In prior practice this is done by raising and lowering the splicing yarn finger at the proper times by mechanism operating automatlcally and controlled by pattern mechanism, but as above stated the throwing in and'out of this yarn finger is objectionable, and therefore in carrying out our invention We allow the splicing yarn finger to remain in its low feeding position during the entire time the high splice or the double sole is being knit, and raise it only after this work has been done. Instead, therefore, of oscillating this splicing yarn finger, the needles are-controlled by the cams 4, 5, to take or miss the splicin yarn.

In igure 1 the splicing yarn is indicated at a with the long butt instep needles passing below and not taking it, the needle at the trailing end of the column of Ion butt needles 5 being indicated at 6 while 0 indicates the first short butt needle at the lead- I ing side of the column of short butt needles 0. It will be noted that the needles 0 are high enough, due to the cam surface 4, to take the main yarn indicated at a and also the splicing yarn (1, whereas the long butt needles 6 havin been moved down by the cam surface 5 further than the needles 0, will take only the main yarn and not the splicing thread. This splicing thread at this time extends from its yarn finger 7 across the needle circle to the oint where it was left out of work and, in t e illustration Figure 1, this point would be diametrically opposite the needle 6 This thread Will now be directly in the path of the needle 0 which iaoaaea will take it and knit with it, together with the main yarn, and this knitting will continue throughout the half circle of short butt needles 0 to form a half course for either the high splice or the double sole, as the case may be, and at the end of this half course the needles will assume the relative position shown in Figure 2 in respect to the short butt needles 0 and the long butt needles I), the trailing or end needle of the short butt series being indicated at 0 while the leading needle of the long butt series I; is indicated at b in this figure. It will be seen that the needles 0 including the trailing needle 0 of this set will take the splicing yarn as well as the main yarn, but as the cam surface 5 draws the long butt needles 5 down to a lower plane than the needles 0 are drawn down by the cam 4 and below the plane at which the yarn is delivered by the splicing yarn carrier this advance needle I) of the long butt or instep needles will not take the splicing yarn, and the same will be true of all the other needles in this set, and high splicing or the reinforcing of the sole will be done by the splicing yarn only on the short butt or heel and toe needles. It will be observed that this splicing or reinforcing will take place on exactly the same needle and will always end at the one particular needle, thus making the line of demarkation between the high splice, double sole and the ankle or instep respectively clear and sharp.

The action of the cam surfaces 4 and 5 acting respectively on the short and long butt needles is to divide these sets of needles at the ends of their columns or series to enable the taking of the splicing yarn to be done by the same short butt needle at each revolution and also to enable the same long butt needle to miss the yarn at each revolution. It will be seen that the main yarn finger is in such a position in respect to the needle wave that all the needles, short and long butt, will take this main yarn. The normal low position of the splicing yarn finger is in a hi her plane than the main yarn finger, and thls position of the splicing yarn finger may be determined by suitable adjustable connections with its operating mechanism.

In order to increase the dividing effect of the needles at the trailing endof the series of short butt needles, we provide a cam surface at 1 forming in effect an extension of the retracting surface of the stitch cam '1. This surface 1, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is in a different plane from the regular retracting surface 1 of the stitch cam 1 and acts upon the long butt needles so that these will be retracted before reaching the inclined line or course of travel of the splic ing yarn between the yarn finger and thepoint where it leaves the fabric,'thereby providing a wider space or separation beneoaaee tween the short and long butt needles, and therefore contact of the end one of the long butt needles with the splicing yarn will be prevented, this effect being shown in Figure 4 where the first needle Z) of the long butt set as well as the next following needle are shown retracted to different degrees conforming substantially to the incline of 'the splicing yarn and below it to miss the same. These needles, therefore, being retracted at this point, will render the dividing action more certain by insuring that the yarn will not get under their hooks.

In the diagrams the cast-off line is indicated at yy.

It will be understood that in -machines like. the Banner the needle cams are differently located from that of the. Banner arrangement. and we do not limit ourselves to any particular location of the cams in respect to the circle of needles.

Our invention is shown in connection with a machine of the latch needle type having an ordinary latch ring 10.

It will be seen that the splicing yarn finger is located in rear of the position of the main yarn finger this being clear by considering the direction of the arrow indicating the revolution of the machine for round knitting. Also, it will be observed,

the splicing finger is above the plane of the main yarn finger. This relative location of the fingers enables a wide separation to be made between them, keeping the main and splicing yarns well apart, while passing to the needles for plating. Contributing to this result is the construction of the guard cam 3 with two paths 4 and 5 at different levels and with the upper path extending across the cam substantially horizontally and also the association of this cam with retracting cam 1, separated therefrom so that the short butt needleswhich are left up are carried in this plane a considerable distance beyond the main feeder before taking the splicing thread and beginning to retract.

We claim as our invention:

1. In combination in a circular stocking knitting machine, a main yarn feed finger,

- a splicing yarn finger, a circle of needles having long and short butts, and a set of knitting cams including two stitch cams and a guard cam, the latter having high and low cam surfaces for the short and long butt needles respectively, one of said stitch cams also having high and low cam surfaces to cooperate respectively with the high and lowcam surfaces of said guard cam during rotary knitting to effect the taking of yarn by the entire circular series of needles from i said main yarn fin erand the taking of yarn by a portion 0 said circular series of needles fromsaid splicing yarn finger.

2. In combination, in a circular stocking knitting machine, with a main yarn feed finger, means for splicing an area less than the full circumference of the stocking comprising, a circle of needles, one half of which are long but-t instep needles and the other half of which are short butt heel and toe needles, all the long butt needles occupying one side of the needle circle and the short butt needles occupying the other side of the needle circle, a splicing yarn finger movable to and from feeding position, needle cams, and a central guard cam, the said central guard cam having cam surfaces for the short and long butt needles respectively for dividing the half circle of long butt needles from the opposite half circle of short butt needles to permit feeding the splicing yarn to the short butt needles only, which also take the main yarn, the said movable splicing yarn finger remaining in feeding position during round knitting and throughout the needle circle while the spliced area is being formed and thereafter being withdrawn, substantially as described.

3. In combination, in a circular stocking knitting machine, with a main yarn feed finger, means for splicing an area less than the full circumference of the stocking comprising, a circle of needles, one half of which are long butt instep needles and the other half of which are short butt heel and toe needles, all the long butt needles occupying one side of the needle circle and the short butt needles occupying the other side of the needle circle, a splicing yarn finger movable to and from feeding position and located in rear of and above the plane of main yarn finger, needle cams, and a central guard cam, the said central guard cam having cam surfaces for the short and long butt needles respectively for dividing the half circle of long butt needles from the opposite half circle of short butt needles to permit feeding the splicing yarn to the short utt needles only, which also take the main yarn, the said movable splicing yarn finger remaining in feeding position during round knitting and throughout the needle circle while the spliced area is being formed and thereafter being withdrawn, substantially as described.

4. In combination in a circular stocking knitting machine, a main yarn finger, a splicing yarn fin'ger, a circle of needles having long and short butts, a set of knitting cams including the two stitch cams and the intermediate guard cam, the latter having high and low. cam surfaces at its lower part for the short and long butt needles respectively for dividing them at the splicing yarn finger, and a cam surface adjacent the ther retracting the long butt needles and in advance of the retraction of the short butt:

needles, substantially as described.

cam during rotary knitting to eflect the taking of yarn by all of the short butt needles from said main yarnfinger only.

In testimony whereof, we ailix our signa-' 15 tures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE E. EosWoErH EUGENE M. GUNNING.

Witnesses:

JOHN LAWSON, RoscoE M. DEXTER. 

